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Friday, 28 February 2014

Please download the following files and fax them to the numbers listed below. Or send your own! You can use any free online faxing service, as you are expressing an opinion, you are engaging in freedom of speech, not in spam or harassment. That said, it is recommended you do so behind Tor and/or a VPN. We obviously aren't dealing with people who appreciate subtlety in human interaction.

Greetings Yoweri Museveni, and other Anti-Homosexuality Bill thugs. We’ve been watching you for quite a while now. We even were so kind as to jostle you a bit in the past to try and bring you to your senses. However, you still fail to see the errors of your ways. Rampant child rape plagues your nation. Your own so-called “Ministry of Ethics and Integrity” is headed by someone who seems to be ok with that fact. All too often we’ve seen the abuse of human rights as a symptom of the mass corruption that lurks in the shadows. You have declared war on the world’s LGBT citizens and the time has come for us to make good on our promises to you. Each day we will continue to take down targets we deem as responsible for the deaths of LGBT people in Uganda. We will continue until you not only repeal these despicable laws but actually provide laws securing the dignity of your citizens humanity and establishing the framework for their prosperity as well.

Thursday, 27 February 2014

Whereas we'd never expect them to cease operating in Uganda, as one article claimed, we would at least like to see a return to the day when threatening to burn gay people alive got you banned - quickly.

We recently highlighted two Facebook homophobes, Babughirana Augustine Snr. and Isabirye Richard, who were inciting violence against gay people.

Whereas Facebook eventually removed Isabirye Richard's profile it took days, and many, many complaints over his flood of horrific posts. Whilst Facebook refused to act, he was busy outing gay people and calling on others to hunt them down. Facebook's response was a mixture of 'yes, this violates our terms' and 'get over it and just ignore the guy.'

Either someone's Facebook page is a hate-filled stream of bile, or it isn't. His clearly was - what took so long to see that?

Wednesday, 26 February 2014

Thank you for supporting the case against U.S. anti-gay extremist Scott Lively and for standing with Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) at this critical time. As you may have read, Uganda’s President Museveni signed the Anti-Homosexuality Bill (AHB) into law yesterday, endangering the lives of all LGBTI Ugandans and criminalizing the work of SMUG and other LGBTI advocacy groups.

It’s urgent that you take action today.

Scott Lively got what he’s been pushing for in Uganda for over a decade.LGBTI Ugandans’ Facebook posts, tweets, media interviews, gatherings, organizations, relationships and very existence are now illegal. LGBTI Ugandans can now be imprisoned for life for “aggravated homosexuality.”

Here are two ways you can fight back today:

1) Share www.crowdrise.com/StopScottLively with your friends via email, Facebook,Twitter, Tumblr and Pinterest and include the hashtags #stopscottlively and #AHB. Ask them to join you in supporting this campaign by making their own gift to Stop Scott Lively.

2) Share this New York Times article (http://nyti.ms/1o3vNt4) via email, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Pinterest. The article highlights SMUG’s courageous response in the face of persecution and political repression.

We must hold Scott Lively accountable for his actions and stop him from causing more harm. SMUG and CCR’s case against Scott Lively has the ability to stop him and other U.S. anti-gay extremists who are traveling around “weaponizing” religion to persecute LGBT people—from Arizona to Kansas, Russia to Nigeria.

We don't condone criminal activity, but neither do we condone criminals who act under the impunity of corrupt and immoral political legislation. When you actively persecute people because of their sexual orientation, the least you deserve is to be taken offline.

Tuesday, 25 February 2014

Norway, Denmark and The Netherlands have become the first countries to either redirect aid away from the Ugandan Government or freeze aid.

The Netherlands froze $9.6 million in aid to Uganda’s legal system, saying that if Uganda’s courts were to enforce the country’s new harsh laws further criminalizing homosexuality then they did not want to assist that process.

Denmark and Norway have also said they both planned to redirect around $8.5 million in aid, to a combined total of $17 million, away from the Ugandan Government – with that money instead going to Non-Government Organizations and human rights groups in Uganda.

Although many Ugandan campaigners have urged against aid cuts, as they say the people of Uganda will suffer, the money was already being paid to a highly corrupt government, so it's questionable how much financial aid actually did reach desperate civilians at grassroots level.

It is also impossible to explain to hard-working citizens in countries with human rights legislation why their hard-earned money is being spent not on making the world a better place, but on supporting human rights abuses and policies that directly contravene their own laws.

This is not the same as stopping aid work. NGOs that work to promote human rights in Uganda may still be funded, and receive even more money, which is being redirected to them instead of the government. It just means less money in the pockets of corrupt and ignorant politicians.

If you're looking for something to financially contribute to, there's the Rescue Fund to Help LGBT People Escape Africa. We're normally a bit cautious about appeals like this, but it's being promoted by Melanie Nathan, who is a well known and respected human rights activist - so we're convinced it's legit.

Saturday, 22 February 2014

From the guys who brought you the CAMOVA Brief, new, improved Presidential Brief, with added homophobia and extra ignorance:

Uganda MPs falsified gay report: The ministerial team tasked with advising President Yoweri Museveni on homosexuality falsified and twisted information in an expert scientific report.

Documents in the possession of the Mail & Guardian show that the Ugandan ministerial task team asked by the president to advise him on homosexuality falsified the information contained in the report given by medical and psychological experts, twisting it to show that homosexuality should indeed be further criminalised.

As Michigan prepares to potentially legalize gay marriage next week, Frank Mugisha, an LGBT rights activist from Uganda, says his country is about to make homosexuality a crime punishable by life in prison...

The 34-year-old spoke on a panel at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African-American History in Detroit Thursday at an event sponsored by Freedom House, a Detroit-based organization that assists political refugees and human trafficking victims -- an increasing number coming from Uganda -- obtain asylum in the U.S...

Mugisha, who won the 2011 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award for his outspoken advocacy, shared what it was like to grow up gay in his hometown, Kampala.

[I]nternational gay rights activists also blame donor countries, including the United States, which favor behind-the-scenes diplomacy intended to avoid a backlash that might come from more forceful engagement.

"Quiet diplomacy up to the final moment clearly has failed," said Maria Burnett, senior Africa researcher for Human Rights Watch.

Clearly you can't please everyone all of the time, and with no united voice from global campaigners saying 'look, this is what you should be doing, we all agree...' it's little wonder the world's super powers twiddle their thumbs and return to other pressing (and vote-winning) home issues.

Perhaps that question can better be answered by looking at the effects Canadian, Irish, Swedish and UK aid cuts have already had on the country? Rather than throwing up suppositions over the future, look for the precedent.

Cutting off diplomatic ties is pretty final. Which brings us back to the question: does quiet diplomacy work?

Whilst Ugandan activists have long argued that tough measures enrage the homophobes and make things worse, Western activists say that international governments are not doing enough and should flex their muscles more.

It's a stalemate of campaigning methodology that seriously needs resolving before things can progress. Fighting for human rights takes a lot of energy, which is easily depleted when you fight amongst yourselves. It would seem that a unified approach would be rather helpful about now.

A Ugandan gay rights activist has thwarted an attempt by the South African government to deport him amid fears he would be at risk of imprisonment or death if sent home.

Officials dropped their case on Thursday against Paul Semugoma, a critic of Uganda's anti-homosexuality bill. But South African activists said it raised questions about their government's treatment of foreign nationals and silence about homophobia on the continent.

[T]here’s a fine line — one that LGBTI aid workers and allies will continue to push forward carefully.

“It’s important to recognize that donors and development has actually ignored LGBT issues for a long time,” Traore said. “How can we repair that?”

In order to add momentum to the social movement, Schwenke would like to see more LGBTI individuals in senior management roles of major institutions as role models of what can be accomplished and strong voices of what needs to happen next.

“I strongly urge the Ugandan authorities to reject the bill and ensure the human rights and dignity of all people in Uganda,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)...

The bill also has public health implications, UNAIDS, said citing studies which show that when gay people face discrimination including abuse, incarceration and prosecution, they are less likely to seek HIV testing, prevention and treatment services.

In 2012, there were 1.5 million people living with HIV in Uganda and 140,000 new HIV infections, UNAIDS reported.

Globally, gay men are around 13 times more likely to become infected with HIV than the general population, emphasizing the urgent need to ensure safe access to HIV prevention and treatment services for all people everywhere.

Museveni did not say that he won’t sign the bill into law. Rather, he promised to take the issue to his party’s caucus, which met on January 24. At the meeting, the caucus wanted Museveni to sign the bill, but, according to the Daily Monitor, Museveni pushed back by demanding “scientific evidence” to establish whether or not gays are abnormal...

Like others concerned about human rights for all people, I read Museveni’s letter with interest. But after reading it, I realized that Museveni is hedging, clearly playing to both sides. As such, people can interpret the letter according to their own views—as we are now clearly seeing.

Museveni said that he would sign the bill if he was offered scientific proof that homosexuality is not genetic... a spokesperson for the government of Uganda, confirmed Friday that Museveni will sign the bill after “medical experts presented a report that homosexuality is not genetic but a social behavior” recently.

Wednesday, 12 February 2014

IF I FOUND ANY OF YOU GAYS.I WOULD RATHER BURN YOU ALIVE AND SUFFER MURDER CHARGES THAN LIVING ON THE SAME EARTH WITH YOU.YOU ARE LESS THAN THE WORTH OF ANIMALS

These words were posted on the SMUG forum by a delightful man named Babughirana Augustine Snr. You can find his Facebook profile here, where it also says that he is a Sales Executive for the Insurance Company of East Africa.

On 20th December 2013, The Lesbian and Gay Bisexual Transgender Community in Uganda woke up to the grim news that the Anti Homosexuality bill, which had been shelved at the end of 2012 had been passed by Parliament. The bill was passed without Quorum and without Prior mandatory inclusion on the Parliament Order Paper. The bill, if passed into law will be a disaster to the Human Rights of LGBT people, a disaster to public health and the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Recent reports in the national and International Media have indicated that the President ‘will not sign’ the bill and hence it is generally believed that the bill is no longer a threat.

We would like to reiterate that this bill is still a huge threat and a treasure to the majority of Ugandans.

It is also worth to note that the power of ascension of a bill doesn’t lay primarily with the President of Uganda. The Parliament of Uganda can also pass the bill into law!

The Constitution provides that the president shall within 30 days after a bill is presented to him/her either:-

Assent to the bill

Return the bill to parliament with a request that the bill or a particular provision of it be reconsidered by parliament; or

Notify the speaker in writing about the decision

The bill may be reconsidered and then presented for the president’s approval. However it may become law without the president’s assent if he/she returns it to parliament two times. It should have the support of at least two-thirds of all MPs.

Why the Day of Action?

If we remain silent, we shall suffer at the hands of Ugandan leaders that have no respect for Human Rights! Silence will not protect us!! We need to speak out against Injustice; We need to speak out FOR Human Rights! We need to speak out against the Anti Homosexuality Bill. We need you to Let Uganda know, through this Day of Action, that the world is watching. We Must demand Justice and respect for Human Rights for all Ugandans.

Reach out to your family, your co-worker, your friend, your partner; Make sure they join you in speaking out for Human Rights.

Thursday, 6 February 2014

Some disturbing news that Uganda's laughingly titled Ethicks and Integrity Minister is once again compiling lists of people suspected of being homosexual, ahead of a ruling on whether to assent the anti-gay law.

It seems safe to say that Museveni’s minister of Ethics and Integrity has already started executing his own, independent, response to his boss’ caustic rejection of the bill Parliament passed in late December 2013.